Everyone seeks knowledge, that is the facts, information, and skills acquired through experience or education. Knowledge is what empowers us, but after deeper inspection it may also seize something from us. Something neglected, innocent but more importantly unrecoverable, and that is the joy of not knowing.
Experiences gives us most of our knowledge in life. We experience, learn and ultimately improve. It’s how humans operate, but what we loose in the process is our initial innocence. We will never experience anything for the first time twice. The first time you saw your best friend, the first time you read your favorite book or the first time you traveled alone. What knowledge seeks from us, is ignorance, our blissful ignorance. Gaining an understanding about anything takes that initial unknowingness which may have been the hurdle in the moment, but which will undoubtedly change into a memory miles down.
Education aims to fill in the gaps left by experience. Though more specific and tailored to each individual, it too robs us of the joy of not knowing. Love movies? Learn film making and you’ll not see movies the same again. Love music? Learning it will inform you of every tone change instead of focusing on the melodies. Knowledge peels back the curtain which can never be shut again. This may not be the biggest heist, but it is still a theft nonetheless.
Getting down from my high horse, knowledge may take the innocence from things, but we know it provides something more meaningful in return, that is the pure pleasure of understanding something to the core. Forming a life-long bond with someone, understanding the intent behind every frame of your favorite movie or developing the confidence to be fully independent, are ways in which knowledge provides back. Or simply put, I like to believe for the width knowledge takes, it provides in depth.
